Kamna Joshi, founder of Selfie Unisex salons in Madhya Pradesh always had her eyes set on being an entrepreneur. After pursuing a corporate career for a while, she plunged into entrepreneurship and started her first luxury salon in 2014. Her salons offer luxury with affordability and her fast growth over the past five years has propelled her to explore the franchise model for further growth.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL), Kamna shares her business journey.

GL: Kamna, after having worked in the corporate sector, what led you to become an entrepreneur?

Kamna: As an MBA in HR and Finance I always had a flair for entrepreneurship. Having worked with corporates like Reliance and S Kumars Nationwide Ltd, I had gathered enough vision to supersede current aspirations and build a brand of my own!

Selfie Unisex Salon was conceived in 2013 and born in 2014. This brand and concept was backed by ample training that I imbibed at the Scandinavian Academy Bangkok and Make Up studio in Netherlands.

Selfie Unisex Salon was the first salon in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh States with the essence of luxury and the promise of affordability. This won us a lot of consumer trust in a short span and within three years Selfie Unisex Salon had a three-outlet strong presence in Indore with most sought after locations comprising of two popular malls and a high street. 2019 will see the opening of our fourth outlet and this year will also witness our foray into franchising.

GL: What has been the most effective way of raising awareness about your business?

Kamna: Consumer first has been our mainstay. The launch of our brand at C 21 Mall witnessed long queues for about a week as we were one of the first in the country for not charging the consumer for as long as a week! All haircuts were absolutely free! This became the talk of the town and customers had never before experienced such luxury at no cost. We have since then launched stunning offers that are not only cost effective but also give value for money for a long period of time.

GL:How do you aim to grow your business bigger, better and faster from here?

Kamna: We look forward to building a 100-store strong presence by 2025. Angle Investing is something we will explore. Another pillar for growth will be franchising.

Selfie Unisex Salon was the first salon in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh States with the essence of luxury and the promise of affordability. This won us a lot of consumer trust in a short span of time.

GL: You are a Linker. Which offerings of GlobalLinker have helped you?

Kamna: GlobalLinker is one of the most convenient platforms to connect with like-minded growth agents with successful/inspiring track records. The best part of being a Linker is exploring a world of opportunities.

GL: What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Kamna: Have enough courage to pursue what you dream! Learn the subject before investing in order to increase chances of success. Have a corpus.

GL: What is the next big thing on your business agenda?

Kamna: Bringing in a model of salon and wellness centres whereby rural India benefits and experiences quality salon services that are hygienic. Co-owning the currently run local salons will be the key to this.

GL: We would love to know the person behind the entrepreneur.

Every day you wake up at - 6 AM

The first thing you do when you wake up - Get my daughter ready for school

Three things you do to unwind/ relax - Sleep, holiday and shop

When you face a big challenge – I keep calm.

The best piece of advice you’ve ever been given - Work hard, party harder